The Probably Flat Planet That Nearly Killed Jamie
by whatthenesmith
Summary: Jamie McCrimmon and the Doctor land a new planet. They go exploring and Jamie nearly dies, only he doesn't really notice. Thanks to some jelly like creatures.


The first sun was just peaking above the horizon, illuminating the sky with deep purples and a vibrant blue that seemed to pulse with energy. A forest, a mass of scraggly looking lush muted green trees, sprawled across a quiet valley. There were no birds it seemed, just a constant low humming of insects. Although, that particular morning, there seemed to be one peculiar sound echoing alongside the low hum of the insects. Wedged in between two of the scraggly trees, a shimmering object seemed to begin materializing out of nowhere. A wheezing, aching sound echoed off the off-white bark of the trees, a few of the alien insects ceasing their hum to listen to this strange, out of place racket. Soon the noise stopped, a bulky square box having appeared in between the two trees. For a brief moment, there was silence, the insects waiting in anticipation to see what could possibly happen next. Already, this morning had been one of the most exciting mornings for the insects.

The door to the TARDIS swung open and out stepped the frumpy, black haired Doctor and his kilt-clad companion, Jamie. The Doctor puffed his chest out as he inhaled the air, a dopey grin dominating his face. Jamie squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. This was the third stop they'd made that day, or what Jamie figured had been about a day. If he were honest, his sense of time had grown into a misshapen form of catnaps and quick snacks. Frankly, if there wasn't some sort of life-threatening adventure for him and the Doctor to go on, a week could feel like a single day. It was very hard for the young Scotsman to wrap his head around it. Anyways, it didn't matter all that much. What did matter was finding something exciting to do. The first planet the Doctor had taken Jamie to that day had been a bleak, grey moore that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. It had been terribly dreary and filled to the brim with gloom, not a living soul in sight. Then the next planet hadn't been suitable for a human to walk around on, so the Doctor had landed them here, wherever here happens to be.

"Say, Doctor, where do you think we are?" Jamie asked, eyes beginning to ache a little from the brightness.

The colors around him seemed off. It looked like a forest Jamie might find back in Scotland, although the trees were more bush-like than anything else and they had white bark. Their leaves were the wrong shade of green, a more muted tone than what Jamie would have seen back on Earth. And the sky was a weird purple-blue mix that seemed to be pulsing almost. All of the colors seemed to be muted down a shade or two while the light casted down from the sun in the sky seemed to make everything seem extremely bright. Jamie watched as the Doctor bent over to examine the sparse grass. There didn't seem to be any dirt, just a green sort of moss in place of what should have been dirt. Grass on top of moss. How funny, Jamie thought.

"Oh, I'm not particularly sure, Jamie," the Doctor mused in response, plucking a piece of grass from the ground and bringing it close to his nose, "Perhaps somewhere in the Capulus 3 System."

"Och, why couldn't we just land in Scotland," Jamie grumbled, kicking the side of the nearest tree.

There was a hollow thunk instead of the satisfying thud Jamie had been expecting.

"Have a sense of adventure, won't you," the Doctor retorted, "It isn't everyday one can just go galavanting off on such exciting adventures as we do."

Jamie bent himself slightly so that he could run the tips of his fingers over the off-white bark of the tree he had kicked. The tip of his boot had made a large red mark where he had hit the tree.

"Look at this, Doctor," Jamie called over his shoulder.

He felt the Doctor come up from behind him, kneeling down so that he was eye-level with the mark Jamie had made. The Doctor prodded the mark, a frown creasing his brow.

"Peculiar," he mused.

Despite how riveting the mark seemed to the Doctor, Jamie had already lost interest. Well, not exactly interest. It was rather more of a curiosity to see what else this strange new planet had to offer.

"Alright then, Doctor, let's go exploring!" Jamie grinned, suddenly feeling very excited. Of course this place wouldn't be as exciting and wonderful as his homeland, but certainly it should have something interesting to look at.

"Mmm," the Doctor grunted, making no sign of moving.

Jamie stood gazing down at the Doctor, hands planted firmly on his hips, anxiously waiting for the Doctor to move from his spot. But the timelord seemed very enraptured with the mark Jamie's foot had left and didn't seem to have any interest in taking Jamie's advice. Well, if the Doctor wasn't going to explore, then Jamie would do the job for the both of them. The young Scotsman looked around the scraggly looking forest and wondered where he should start first. This mossy, bright planet seemed to expand out on either side forever, as if a horizon didn't exist. Maybe there was no horizon. Could it be possible for him and the Doctor to be on a planet that was flat? Most of the planets they had been to had been round lumps of rock, but they had seen very odd things on those planets. Robot mice, a sprawling underwater metropolis, and some of these odd happenings had even been found on Earth. So was it ridiculous to think that perhaps this planet was flat? Jamie turned around to voice his thoughts to the Doctor.

"Say, Doctor, d'ya think perhaps this planet's-," Jamie began to ask, but stopped himself mid sentence.

The Doctor was no longer kneeling by the tree that Jamie had kicked only a few minutes ago. In fact, the Doctor didn't seem to be anywhere at all. It almost seemed as if he had just disappeared, without a trace.

"Doctor? Where are ya?" Jamie called out, carefully inching himself closer to the area that the Doctor had disappeared from.

Did this planet hold a creature that could have attacked the Doctor? Yes, the Doctor was a small man, but certainly Jamie would have heard something if the Doctor had come to sudden harm. Maybe some of the inhabitants had stolen him away or knocked him out, dragging the limp form of his friend behind them as they carried him back to their camp to devour him in a soup.

"Doctor?" Jamie said again, an uneasy feeling beginning to overcome his senses.

He had to keep a clear head and so the Scotsman took a deep breath. And then heard something move behind him. Muscling tensing, readying himself for some sort of fight or altercation, Jamie whirled around and faced his enemy. Only he didn't see anyone. Not at first, at least. It took Jamie a moment to realize that what had moved behind him was a jelly-like blobby creature. Well, Jamie assumed it was a creature since it was slowly moving in a little semi-circle, inching itself closer to Jamie.

"Oh, um, hello there," Jamie called out to the moving thing.

Did it understand words? Could it talk? Was it really alive? Jamie assumed that it must be, considering that it was moving and it didn't appear to be mechanical. Despite the fact that Jamie still did not know where the Doctor was, now that there did seem to be some sort of living creature on this planet did relieve some of the uneasiness Jamie had been feeling. The blobby creature stopped moving and some of it slowly shot up into the air, as if it were trying to form a neck. The creature was simply a shimmering opaque white jelly and Jamie didn't know what was holding it together or allowing it to move around. The absence of the Doctor was beginning to grow on Jamie again. If the Doctor were here, he'd be able to tell Jamie exactly what this thing was. The little jelly creature pulsed then, as if there were a light buried deep inside it, that someone was now flicking on and off.

"Um…," Jamie was taken aback by that.

Was it a defense mechanism? Is that how this thing talked? The pulsing light continued to flash on and off, the jelly creature inching forwards towards Jamie again. The Scotsman took a few steps backwards, keeping what he felt was a safe distance away from the creature.

"Now look, I don't mean you no harm," Jamie said to it, hoping that it understood what he was trying to say.

His words didn't seem to do anything though. It kept inching forwards, flashing on and off, it's opaque body casting odd shadows on the ground beneath it. Jamie kept backing up a few steps to keep a healthy distance between him and the thing. And the Doctor was still nowhere in sight. Then, something different happened. Suddenly, Jamie felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

"Ach!" Jamie slapped a hand to the back of his neck instinctively, the shooting pain traveling from his neck down his spine.

The pulsing, flashing light of the jelly creature became more erratic and bright. Very bright. Too bright. As Jamie stood staring at it, his vision beginning to blur, the jelly creature's light seemed to morph into a sickly red color, burning into his retinas.

"Doctor, where are ya?" Jamie mumbled weakly, trying to get his legs to move him backwards, away from the thing.

But Jamie's legs didn't move. Instead, they wobbled until they finally gave out, sending Jamie collapsing onto the ground. The light was too bright, it was hurting his eyes. Giving him a headache.

"Turn it off, please," Jamie begged, his voice barely a whisper.

But the jelly creature didn't heed any of the young Scotsman's words, just like it hadn't before. It continued to advance towards him in it's slow manner, it's light pulsing and flashing that sickly yellow color. It was almost becoming mesmerizing and Jamie felt his eyelids begin to grow heavy.

"I can't," Jamie told himself, trying to keep his eyes open.

If he closed them, that creature would surely do him harm. Eat him or something. In fact Jamie had a feeling, one way or another, he was going to be digested, which sent horrible shivers down his spine. The wind must of picked up or something because Jamie suddenly felt very cold. Very cold and too hot. Maybe all he needed was a kip. A quick nap. Nothing long. Just a moment to rest his eyes. With a feeling of defeat deep in his gut, Jamie McCrimmon let his eyes fall shut.

The next thing Jamie knew, he was being shaken awake. Blinking, the Doctor swam into Jamie's vision. The timelord was knelt next to Jamie, repeating Jamie's name, pleading for him to wake up. Upon seeing Jamie open his eyes, the Doctor's face seemed to relax for a moment.

"Are you alright, Jamie?" the Doctor asked as he helped Jamie to his feet.

Jamie glanced around, trying to see where that jelly like creature had gone. The pain he had felt earlier seemed to be gone, in fact Jamie hadn't felt better. He felt invigorated and rejuvenated. But even though Jamie looked around, turning in a slow circle, he couldn't see the little jelly like creature anywhere in sight.

"Aye, Doctor, I'm alright," Jamie answered the Doctor, "Or, least I think I am."

"What happened?" the Doctor asked.

"I saw this creature. Looked like jelly, sort of, if ya could see through jelly, that is. And it kept coming towards me, then I got this horrible pain in my neck before I passed out," Jamie replied, still eying in between the trees, still keeping an eye out for the very same creature he was talking about.

"Creature? I didn't think this planet was populated," the Doctor hummed to himself almost, taking a quick look around the forest as if Jamie were pointing to the creature already.

"Aye, well, it is," Jamie nodded his head, hands instinctively going to his hips, "Where'd ya go anyhow, Doctor?"

The Doctor stared off into the distance for a moment before turning his gaze to Jamie. The older man wore a puzzled expression, his brows contorting his face into a quizzical frown.

"Oh, I just popped into the TARDIS for a moment," the Doctor waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh, you just popped back into the TARDIS, now, did ya," Jamie huffed, a little peeved that the Doctor had almost abandoned him while a jelly monster had nearly digested him.

But it wasn't as if Jamie could hold a grudge against the man. He hadn't meant any harm by leaving Jamie to his own devices and the Doctor had clearly been under the impression that the two of them were alone on this planet.

"Jamie," the Doctor piped up, interrupting Jamie's thoughts, "I think it's high time we do a little exploring."

"Aye, well, you can take the lead. I don't want to meet that beastie again," Jamie grunted, gesturing towards the forest that held the frightening idea of the unknown.

It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. It almost reminded Jamie about the moment he knew his people were at war, before the young James McCrimmon knew what war was really like. Exploring with the Doctor wasn't anything like war, even if sometimes they found themselves in similar positions.

"Understandable, Jamie," the Doctor nodded his head and headed off in what seemed to be a random direction, "Well, come along, then. Off we go!"

Jamie followed closely, nearly stepping on the heels of the Doctor's shoes. As they walked nearly aimlessly through the forest, Jamie took in their surroundings. There didn't seem to be any sort of rocks, just the odd colored forest stretching on for mile upon mile. How long they walked was a mystery to Jamie, but eventually he and the Doctor did suddenly emerge into a small clearing. It wasn't all that wide, a few feet at most, and it was nearly barren. The scraggly trees didn't seem to want to touch this little haphazard circle. Instead it was filled only with the mossy substance that was replacing, Jamie supposed, the dirt that would have been around if this had been Earth. Yet the moss was not the only thing to be seen within the clearing. A handful of those jelly creatures that Jamie had seen earlier were milling around, bumping into one another every now and again. Instinctively, Jamie took a hold of the Doctor's arm, almost hiding himself behind the older man.

"Is this them, Jamie?" the Doctor asked, nonchalantly gesturing towards the creatures in the clearing.

"Oh, aye," Jamie nodded, "Those are the beasties there, aye."

Would they try to attack them again? Jamie didn't necessarily want to be attacked again. But the way the Doctor seemed more pleasantly intrigued than anything else clued Jamie in on the fact that the Doctor didn't seem to feel that there was any sort of danger around.

"Well, I don't think they pose much of a threat to us," the Doctor mused, stepping further into the clearing.

"Excuse me," the Doctor announced, his voice echoing just slightly around the clearing, "Hello. I'm the Doctor and this young man is Jamie, my companion. I was wondering if any of you chaps happened to meet my friend earlier."

The jelly creatures topped moving and seemed to have their attention trained upon the Doctor and Jamie. It made Jamie's skin crawl a little, mostly because these things didn't have any eyes and yet the Scotsman felt the undeniable feeling of being watched. At first, nothing else happened. The Doctor and Jamie stood there, waiting for some response, but with no lucky. Then, all of a sudden, something odd happened.

"Oh, we are sorry for frightening the friend Jamie," a very neutral, almost nonexistent voice (if that were all possible, Jamie added to himself) spoke.

Or didn't speak. The creatures were not speaking with mouths, or any sort of verbal language that Jamie could tell. Rather, they seemed to be speaking inside of Jamie's head. It was, to say the least, a very weird experience.

"Oi, how're you doing that?" Jamie demanded, very perplexed.

"They're telepaths, Jamie," the Doctor explained, "They have the ability to communicate by, umm sort I suppose, speaking to you or I through our minds."

"Oh," although Jamie didn't entirely understand the reasoning behind why the jelly creatures could speak to him through their minds, the idea itself was pretty explanatory.

Plus, it wasn't as if he could argue with the Doctor about this one. The creatures didn't have mouths of any sort, yet here they were, talking to them both.

"Well," Jamie decided to move on from how and why this was happening, deciding to instead focus on why the creatures had attacked him in the first place, "If ya didn't want to hurt me, why did ya?"

"We did not," the creatures spoke, or creature, Jamie still wasn't sure, "The friend Jamie was stung by one of our fellow life beings. The fellow life being is poisonous, but we can neutralize the poison. We saved the friend Jamie, understand."

The Doctor glanced at Jamie, a slightly concerned look on his face, before he returned his gaze back towards the jelly creatures. Jamie himself was growing a little sweaty at the thought of being poisoned.

"Will he be alright?" the Doctor inquired.

"Of course, the healing process has already been completed," the creatures answered, "The friend Jamie will be perfectly alright."

"Well, thank you very much," Jamie said to them, feeling lucky to have stumbled upon the one creature that could help him, despite the fact that he hadn't even known he had been in any danger in the first place.

"Yes, indeed, we are both very grateful!" the Doctor chimed in.

"No need for thanks," the creatures insisted, "We only ask you leave before nightfall. Our fellow life being will come out then, ready to sting again. It is unwise to stay the night here."

"Oh, aye, well I think it is about time we leave then," Jamie nodded, wanting nothing more to do with a planet that posed such a danger to him.

"That's a little disappointing," the Doctor pouted, "I would have so liked to see more of this beautiful planet."

"Aye, well, you can come back when I'm not around," Jamie retorted, ready to get back inside the TARDIS, a place where he was highly unlikely to encounter any poisonous insects, if that that what the fellow life being the creatures were referring to were.

"Well, thank you again," the Doctor nodded as Jamie impatiently began to head back towards the area they had left the TARDIS.

The older man sprinted to catch up to Jamie.

"Say, where're you speeding off to?" the Doctor inquired.

"This place just gives me a bit of the heebie-jeebies, that's all, Doctor," Jamie replied, "Plus, it wasn't as if you were almost poisoned. Give me a good fight any day, at least it's honorable to die facing your enemy. Poison isn't dignified."

"It's hardly this planet's fault," the Doctor pointed out.

"Well, let's try to aim somewhere a bit more lively and less dangerous," Jamie suggested as the pair neared the TARDIS.

"I can make no promises," the Doctor shook his head as he unlocked the TARDIS doors.

Casting one last look back at the odd little planet that was probably flat, Jamie sighed. It hadn't been a complete waste of time, landing here, but it had almost killed him. Just another adventure with the Doctor, that was. Honestly, it was almost disappointing how easily Jamie's near death experience had been resolved. Usually, it took a couple of days.

"Jamie, are you coming?" the Doctor's voice drifted from inside the TARDIS.

"Aye, coming, Doctor!" Jamie shouted back, before bounding into the TARDIS, ready for their next adventure.


End file.
